Mobility assistance devices, such as crutches, have traditionally been made such that the majority of the user's weight is placed on the user's wrists and hands, and secondarily a user's arms. These devices are intended to shift the user's weight load from their legs and feet to the wrists and hands in order to take stress off the legs, hips, and feet. The hands and wrists then bear the load, but are not accustomed to such weight and movements as would be required by the crutch. As a user walks, moves, or even stays stationary, the transfer of this weight load puts undue pressure on these joints. Continuous and consistent pressure on these joints can be painful if there are pre-existing conditions such as a sprained wrist or carpal tunnel syndrome. In addition, such use may cause injury, numbness and fatigue in these joints for many users. The transfer of this weight load can also be difficult to manage for the elderly and those individuals with disabilities.
Additionally, current crutches require grip strength to allow the user to grip a handle. Often, those in need of mobility assistance have reduced or no grip strength and need or desire to avoid putting additional pressure on to their hands and wrists. Therefore, a design that removes the weight of the user from the user's wrists and hands as well as the lower limbs and joints is needed. A design which does not require the gripping of a handle to support the user's weight is also needed.
Previous iterations of crutches have introduced forearm cuffs and supports. However, these versions require the gripping of a handle by the user and continue to require the user to support his or her entire weight on the wrist and hands. While prior attempted solutions have focused on increasing stability for the crutch and lessening or dampening the pressure on a user's armpits and hands, displacement of weight from the wrist and hands and removing the need for a hand grip is not fully addressed.